Secrets in the Dark
by Neji-WarmingUpWinter
Summary: It was in times like these that he wished things could be simple again. But then again, they never were. But why did he have to start remembering at a time like this? KaiShin, side HeiKazu
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: NO!

Warning(s): AU, all the warnings that come with that. There may or may not be a couple OCs here and there, haven't decided yet.

Pairing(s): KaiShin centric, side HeiKazu, HakuAo?, EiRan?

_Summary: It was in times like these that he wished things could be simple again. But then again, they never were. But why did he have to start remembering at a time like this? KaiShin, side HeiKazu_

A/N: Think around 18 or so for Kaito's gang, and 16-ish for Shinichi's.

.:::.

**Secrets in the Dark**

Chapter 01: Of Blackmail and Meetings

"W-Who are you?"

The man felt trapped as he backed up against the wall of the old shed. Eyes darting around frantically for an escape route, but there was none to be found. He had only received an anonymous note that afternoon just as he was preparing to leave his office, telling him to come here.

Okay, so maybe there _was_ something fishy about the note – who wouldn't think so? He had just gone to the bathroom, and it was on his chair when he got back, when no one should've come in –. Now that he thought about that, he was really regretting coming here. Why had he been so impulsive?

Again, okay, so he had always been considered sort of impulsive and curious among his friends, but he had always been – kind of – careful when it came to these kinds of suspicious matters. He should've asked someone to tail him...

A slightly sinister laugh followed his stuttered question, though he couldn't help but notice the sadness it contained, though he kept quiet. Better not talk now...

"Who am I?"

A slim figure leapt gracefully down from its previous perch above him. The other boy was obviously young – not older than the age of eighteen. A dark, knight-like helmet covered his head from nose and up – the rest of his attire was a dark blue, a similarly-designed cape pooling from his shoulders. He wasn't able to muffle his gasp of surprise, futilely trying to back away even more. He could almost hear the smirk in the other's voice as he spoke. The man slammed his eyes shut as the boy leaned close, but not close enough that he could feel his breath on his face. He shuddered. What had he done to deserve this?

_A lot of things._

"If you comply with my wishes, I shall leave as I come, you unharmed. If not, I'll be your worst nightmare," The last part turned out in a snarl, and the man shook, but decided to go defiant on the other.

Oh, he didn't know what he had gotten himself into.

_Because it was always wrong to mess with him._

"What makes you think that I'll comply with whatever your wishes are?" he demanded, but did not expect the slightly evil, monotone and emotionless laugh in answer. A wide smirk had spread across the other figure's features. "Why – blackmail, of course. I'm sure you wouldn't want the media to catch wind of _that_ certain incident..."

The business owner racked his brain for a time that he could have ever been blackmailed, automatically stifling a gasp when the thought struck him. Surely it couldn't been _that_ one... "What do you want?"

A row of pearly, white teeth were flashed. "I knew you would see it my way. Mention this meeting to no one, because I _will_ know if you do, and we can settle this score with a quota of ten million."

Fumbling messily for his card, he held it out with a shaky hand. It was snatched away and examined crucially, the code inscribed on the card especially. Once the younger boy had deemed it satisfactory, he slipped it in a hidden pocket. Smirk prominent on his features once more, he snarled darkly, "Remember, not a soul other than you and me should know about this, or _else_."

With that parting, he sauntered away, leaving the business owner pale and shaking at his retreating back. _But what if he told? _But this particular business owner did not stick well to his end of promises and deals, even with death threats, which would turn out to be very, _very_ real indeed...

.:::.

"The city looks even better than I thought it would," Toyama Kazuha mouthed in appreciation, awing at the grand city. Besides the other, overlooking the deck of the same ship, Hattori Heiji snorted.

"When are you _not_ going to say that to every city? Or are you just too pessimistic?" He teased, grinning when she turned to stick her tongue out at him.

"Of course, as anyone has to be when they travel with _you_," she shot back, annoyed by her boyfriend's antics. "I'm surprised I don't see a murder already." Another voice piped up beside her, and she started.

"Jinxed it, Kazuha-chan," Kuroba Kaito snickered, pointing over the ships at the dock. "See those police cars? Another case, probably. But by the looks of it, they've wrapped the whole thing up already. Or at least given up."

"I'd be surprised if they did, or there's just a genius in that bunch," the Osakan detective snorted. "Actually wrapped the thing up, I mean, out of all the police and detective forces we've seen, the best was probably that Hakuba bastard. And that's saying something."

"Be nice, Heiji," Kazuha reprimanded her boyfriend. "Besides, Hakuba-kun was nice, if not a bit by the book. Right, Aoko-chan?"

Nakamori Aoko agreed with her friend rather enthusiastically, sticking her tongue out at the messy-haired Kuroba when he pouted at her. "That's right! He even offered to show us around, but it really was too bad that our ship left that very afternoon. And treating all of us to lunch was very nice."

"I'm going to have to side with Hattori-kun here today," Kaito interjected, cutting off the other's half-rant. "I have to say that he really needs to shake loose that stick that's lodged in his British ass." At the comment, Hattori choked on his own breath, doubling over in laughter, but not before Kazuha whacked his head.

Smirking at the Osakan's reaction, the magician almost wasn't able to dodge the swing that came his way.

"BAKAITO!"

"Woah, jeez, Aoko!" ...The Osakans watched, sweatdropping as the top-tempered girl chased her childhood friend around.

.:::.

The scene they came to wasn't pretty. Although the body had already been moved away, it wasn't hard to imagine what the body would have looked like. Blood still remained on the walls of the outside of the visible walls of the building, leaving a shape to signify where the body should have been.

It turned out that the whole affair wasn't done up and over with yet ("Told ya," Heiji grinned, before getting whacked by Kazuha). In fact, the amount of police cars –in this case lack of- was because the event had only happened that morning, or at most late the previous night.

Due to the quite infamous reputation that Heiji himself had gained throughout as a detective, they were let in the scene, though most were quite skeptical and surprised that the Osakan was actually there.

Apparently, they had heard he was somewhere in the northern part of Japan or something. Which was a hundred percent untrue. The group had left the place nearly half a year ago.

While the others wandered around aimlessly, the Osakan detective seemed fixated on a patch of red which was assumed to be blood on the ground. After a good while of staring at it, he looked up, opened his mouth, and –

Some time ago, a long-haired brunette that looked surprisingly like Aoko had been talking to one of the policemen, and was soon after let in the scene. She wasn't anyone famous, or at least someone he didn't recognize, Kaito noted shrewdly. And she seemed familiar with the officers.

That was suspicious. There was really no need to be familiar with the police unless you were a detective or worked a similar profession. And as far as he knew, either that girl was a new –or poor– detective, or she was a –criminal–.

The latter seemed far more appealing. He decided that he would wait before determining how he should interact with this girl.

His childhood friend and her friend, however, held no such feelings. They bounced over to make friends with Aoko's look-alike. He wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but he could read lips well enough.

"I'm Mouri Ran," the new brunette introduced herself cheerfully. "I'm a detective."

"Oh, another detective?" Kazuha grinned cheerfully, "at least you're not like that ahou" she shot a point look at Heiji, who glared at her "detective who thinks he so great."

Ran laughed. "It's nothing. I'm not that great. I only started this business last year with a friend of mine. He's much better than me at the detective work, but he's like, _so_ oblivious, and his closest lover is probably his Sherlock Holmes collection."

"He?" Aoko grinned slyly. Ran rolled her eyes. "Everyone seems to assume that, but no. He's almost like my little brother, in a way. He sprained his ankle just this morning, I think. He really needs to be more careful. I was on my way to see him when I saw the scene. It seems to be pretty much cleared up, though."

The mention of the friend in her talk caught Heiji's interest. It fitted too perfectly. What he was going to say forgotten, Heiji lifted an eyebrow in interest.

This was certainly going his way.

"Oh, really? May I meet this...friend of yours?"

.:::.

He was limping, quite heavily in his opinion, barely from an outsider's. Every step sent a jolt of pain up his leg. Damn that stupid businessman, who knew that he practiced karate –it reminded him of a certain friend of his–...He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to walk normally, wincing when one misplaced step nearly caused him to trip.

"You shouldn't strain yourself so much." He would know _that_ dry voice anywhere. He scoffed, turning around, trying his hardest to ignore the pain in his ankle. "Like I try to, Haibara."

The scientist emerged from out of the shadows of the building she had been leaning against, dressed in white lab coat and all, like she had just come out of her lab, which in itself was not true, as she had been waiting for him for at least an hour now. She made sure he was following her, before they made their way back down to the medical room.

"I told you, Haibara, it's nothing serious," he complained, sitting down on the bed covered in white hospital like sheets. Saying nothing, she settled herself across from him into a chair, taking his foot with her hands, and then 'accidently' pressing in a bit too hard, almost enjoying the younger boy's gasp of pain, tears springing to his eyes. She smirked. "Right. 'Nothing serious' sounds a bit different. I barely touched that, Edogawa-kun."

He huffed, any remains of previous tears in his eyes either long gone, or wiped away in a swift, unseen motion. "You touch harder than the average person," was all that got out of his mouth before he let out a yelp, almost kicking the scientist as the pain jolted up his leg. "Stop that!"

"Either he kicked you very hard," She started in a monotone, not caring about his yelps of pain, but was interrupted.

"He didn't."

"...Or you bruise very easily," she finished, smirking.

"Forget what I just said, he kicked really hard."

"I'm sure he did," she rolled her eyes disbelievingly as she slipped off the smaller boy's shoe. The purplish bruise had been wrapped carelessly, obviously untreated, left out for infection. She looked at it in distaste. "I told you to take better care of yourself. Did you apply medicine on this?"

"No."

"It was a rhetorical question."

All further conversation was stopped as a white kitten slipped its way silently into the room, not unnoticed by the room's other occupants.

.:::.

"What the hell are you getting on, Hattori?"

Kaito narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the Osakan, only coming up with the fact that he was onto something, and Mouri-chan's friend may have something to do with it. Now all he hoped was that whatever he accused was true, else it would be very awkward.

The detective was smirking. "Don't you get it? It fits so perfectly!" he whispered to the magician in a hushed tone. "Mouri-san said that her friend hurt her ankle this morning. The crime happened this morning. The patch of red I was examining, it wasn't blood, it was _paint_. And what's easier to hide blood with than red paint?"

"I don't think you should make those accusations without more solid proof, though," Kaito thought it over carefully.

Heiji sighed. "I won't outright accuse him, goddammit. I'm just going to see if he seems like a good person."

"By 'seems like a good person', so you mean good-looking, handsome, and adorable?" Kaito enjoyed the blush that spread across the Osakan's cheeks. "No! Why would you say that –"

"We're here!" Ran interrupted them. In front of them was a place that looked something like a small hospital, except much simpler, almost like a church.

"I have been expecting you."

All of them jumped, with the exceptions of Ran and Kaito, at the sound of the voice. "I see you brought friends." A tall figure stepped out of the shadows. She had short blonde hair, cut around her shoulders, and was wearing a white lab coat.

"Ai-chan," the brunette detective greeted. "I'm here to see Conan-kun."

The scientist gave a small nod, a tiny smile gracing her lips. "Follow me. He should still be awake."

The halls they were led into was like a series of maze – twists and turns, rights and lefts, until even Kaito couldn't remember how far and which way they had taken to come in. The group stopped at the door of what the original party swore to be a random door. It was oddly silent inside, from what they could hear.

The scientist, who they had learned went by the name of Haibara Ai, poked her head in the room for a moment. When she backed out, she murmured, "Be quiet. He's asleep." Ran insisted on going in anyway.

Kaito couldn't suppress his grin upon seeing the boy curled up on the white, hospital-like bed. He was –still- so cute! Swathed in sheets, with one hand under the pillow, a book strewn carelessly across the floor, hair resembling a certain magician's. A tiny, white kitten was curled up by his head, long fur brushing his neck.

The sound of footsteps broke the silence, but neither the sleeping boy nor the white kitten stirred. The door was pushed open roughly. "Mouri-chan!"

Ran turned around, look of surprise gracing her features. "Yes, Sensui?"

"T-There's a fire a-at the nearby mall!" the police officer who had just ran in the room panted profusely, words almost said in an unintelligible mess of sounds. "Someone set bombs on the first and third floors!"

That seemed to catch the other people's attention. "A _bomb_?!" Heiji exclaimed, "Who would set a bomb in the mall?"

"I don't know, but we're going to find out."

Ran's words were short, marking the end of the conversation for the moment as they followed Sensui out the door. But the Osakan couldn't help but notice that she, the policeman, and two more of their number weren't nearly as surprised as he would have deemed a reasonable amount. They had known something like this would happen.

At this point, there were only two possibilities: either they somehow found out that this sort of event would happen beforehand, or they themselves...

...had helped set the bombs.

.:::.

A/N: I know that people usually give Shinichi a dog or something, but cats seemed to better fit the situation at hand, with its personality and all, so...hehe...Don't expect fast updates. It's what you voted for. This, Teitan, or something new next –*cough* OfThievesAndAssassins,MendingthePast,ReminiscenceOfTerror,Whisper,TheRoomThatKills,StealingTheDetective'sHeart,etc,etc *cough* –? –purely on title, please, too lazy to put all the summaries –/shot


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: If you think I do, go whack your head against the nearest wall. Better yet, into whatever device you're using at the moment. Just kidding. But, really.

.:::.

**Secrets in the Dark**

Chapter 02: Flames, Mysteries, and Memories

It was chaos outside, around, and presumably inside, or whatever was left inside of the mall. Firefighters flocked around, and police officers tried to keep worried parents from going in after their children.

It was a routine, really. Every single time. He knew, the law enforcement knew, firefighters knew, parents knew, they all knew. They knew their efforts were futile. It had long since become habit.

But it didn't make it any less painful.

_It didn't matter if it was only a test._

They had to keep up the act for others, the tourists. Normally, this awed form would mean that it was an once-in-a-lifetime experience. But somehow, they knew this was different.

The group had gotten not much out of a nearby police officer on standby duty – only that the fire had seemingly started from a bomb – or so the policeman finally relented that innumerable witnesses claimed the loudspeaker had broadcasted. An explosion – with more force than they'd ever seen before. Granted – it seemed as though these sorts of things happened often, from the awed way the talk about exactly how huge the explosion was.

To Hattori, the policeman appeared to be a little _too_ uninformed, for a policeman that claimed to be among the first to arrive at the scene, with the firefighters. But he didn't particularly take note of it. They probably just didn't have the time to inform its subordinates yet.

But the thought overtook his mind. Plagued him, for a reason he did not know. Shrugging it off, forcibly, he forced himself to turn away.

It was the opening he had been waiting for, hoping for. What was up with law enforcement these days? The policemen let a smirk play across his lips as he jumped at the first chance to get away from the group, whose members was currently distracted.

Purposefully ignoring the half-curious, half-worried look that was sent his way from one of the group –although he was not sure exactly which member it had originated from –, he ducked his head, long bangs shadowing his eyes –he'd need to cut his hair sometime-, which had suddenly become a very, bloody red. He didn't realize it. He never did.

_Because it wasn't his doing._

Not anymore.

_It never was._

There was something in the sly gaze that he just couldn't catch, hard as he would try. Familiarity – He shook the feeling off. He didn't want to dwell, he was supposed to be doing his –supposed- job, goddammit.

_Not that this part of his actions was actually to be done for another hour_ –

The group seemed to be still deep in conversation, as he slipped out without notice of the innocents of the group. He was still surprised at how easily people were trickled when they had not been exposed to true evil yet. Not that he would really want them to be. It would make things a lot harder, and – he didn't want to admit, but they didn't deserve it.

Well, as long as _she_ covered for him, both of actions and whereabouts, there should be no problem in helping...

But in the corner of his mind, he wept. He wished that he would stop helping there people, so that they would get a real taste of fear. But in the end, he could never help it. Would never be able to help it.

Never had, never will, no matter how he wished.

.:::.

It was like magic.

No, scratch that, it _was_ magic.

One minute it was there, the next...it was just..._gone._ Like it had never been there just a few moments ago. It wouldn't have been so surprising had the firefighters actually been making significant progress with their act of putting out the flame, but the thing was, they _hadn't_. If anything, the more water they sprayed on it, the flame only seemed to glow brighter, until it was even more widespread than it had been at first.

It didn't seem to matter. A regular person would have long since stopped spraying.

And just like that, it was gone. With a simple snap of fingers.

Magic.

The crowd didn't seem as surprised as a crowd should have been at such a feat. The urgency was there, yes, but it wasn't _urgency_. After a moment, they were all charging in to look for lost children. Without any hesitation. Such proclamation wouldn't have been much. The detective wasn't very surprised at all, needless to say was the townsfolk. Not at the cause of the fire, the fire itself, or how quickly –magically- it had gone out.

Both girls thought it strange. As much as they had seen this sort of stuff –it came with traveling with a self-proclaimed detective after all- , it was something they just couldn't get used to. By the horror stories and folktales that the town seemed to be bursting with, it seemed to be a common occurrence.

And for something like this to become _common_, it would have to happen a hell _lot_.

That was the time that Heiji decided that, yes, there was something very wrong with these people. There just had to be.

He considered himself to be a detective – could claim that he was used to corpses and dead bodies, even when they were falling from the sky – _literally_. But, on the other hand, bombing was a completely different matter.

It had always been.

It was also part of the reason he had jumped at the offer Ran had made to the group – that they should travel with her for her upcoming journey to the three major cities, all with a lake nearby and legends attached – Tokyo, Osaka, and Kuro.

.:::.

"You know you're endangering all of them by letting them travel with you. I don't think I really need to tell you that." Her voice was soft, unusually understanding, not at all like who she usually acted like around others.

A defeated sigh. "I know that. You know that. We both know that. But we both know how stubborn Ran can be when she wants to be." _And ever since they appeared, I've been feeling weird. Nauseous._

A slight smirk, the tone slightly teasing, but at the same time, flat. It was always flat, whenever this particular topic came up. "You just don't want a repeat of the last time you tried to pull a stunt like that on her. She wasn't happy."

He cringed. "Well, what am I supposed to do? If you're going to act like that, give me some ideas, genius. I'm not really that eager to end up with another broken ankle for the next three months or so."

"Oh, then how about a broken arm?"

"Shut _up!_"

An uncommonly serious grin, although it melted into something else only moments later. "You shouldn't be afraid to remember, you know. Wouldn't you like to know more about _it_? You're the one always searching for the truth, after all."

The wistful look, before it was shaken off. "Maybe I don't want to know. Maybe it's safer this way. Maybe..."

The voice softened. "Maybe it's better this way."

"But maybe not," her voice cut in, coldly. She almost never did things truly icily around him anymore. But this sentence was cutting, sent him shivering right down to the very core.

"But –"

"No buts," her voice booked no room for argument. "Why wouldn't you want to know?"

"I don't know," he snapped back, "maybe I just don't want to? Think I should just leave my past as it is? You know the saying: Ignorance is bliss."

"Yes," she repeated, "It may be. But that's only in some cases, is it not? You seek the truth – the truth is not ignorance – therefore you would not want the ignorance. I _know_, maybe even more than you do. We stand the same ground on that subject."

"Or do we?" his words were a jumble, but her sharp hearing caught it anyway.

"Edogawa-kun."

He turned away, and she could feel the sting of the rejection. "Can I just think it over myself? I can handle this on my own. So much of my future is at stake..."

She knew.

"No, you can't," her voice didn't carry, and therefore he didn't catch it as he walked away from her. "You can't do it."

"_Kudou-kun_."

.:::.

"He should be out in a minute, Ai-chan's just patching him up for the journey," Ran cheerfully informed the group. It had been a couple of days since they had arrived in the city, and the flow of tourists hadn't seemed to stop. Since they had been planning to stay in the city for some while anyway, Ran had taken up the task of showing them around the city.

She had even gotten the four two separate rooms at the resident hotel, which was not an easy feat, considering the number of rooms that had already been booked from the week from incoming tourists.

Apparently, this town was famous for its beaches.

So _of course_ the girls had to insist on spending a day at the beach. Kaito himself had made up some excuse about looking around the rest of town, and Ran herself made the excuse of having urgent matters to attend to.

It was nearly sundown when the duo had returned.

Now, it was a week later, and almost time to start their journey. They were going to meet the last member of their little group here. Apparently, according to Ran, he was actually to be the leader of the group, and while he had not invited Ran along, she had insisted, and he succumbed.

"They're sure slow," Hattori mumbled under his breath, before shooting Kazuha a glare after she elbowed him.

At the very moment, Ran suddenly started to wave at someone in the building. "Hurry up, Conan-kun!"

"I'm coming!"

The boy that made his way out of the building bore a distinct resemblance to Kaito, maybe a bit shorter. Cerulean, blue orbs shone out from behind black bangs, set with a pair of too big glasses. His clothing wasn't what one would call casual, but it wasn't all that formal either.

Ran turned to smile at the rest of them, pushing the newcomer forward. "Guys, this is Edogawa Conan. He's the one who was originally sent on this mission."

"Hattori Heiji."

"Nakamori Aoko, nice to meet you!"

"Toyama Kazuha, it's a pleasure to meet ya."

"Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire!"

With a puff of smoke, the shorter boy found a sapphire rose held out to him, the grinning face of the magician behind it, however, ruined the atmosphere. Nevertheless, he blushed harder as the rose was placed on his ear, shooting a retort at the smirking magician. The latter replied in kind, before Aoko made a mean swipe to his head with her mop, scolding him.

Beside them, Ran watched the scene with fond eyes.

_It's nice to see this again…._

.:::.

They started out the next morning, bright and early. The sun shining brightly in the sky, they set out on their way.

The atmosphere had stayed relatively light the whole morning. Although Hattori had spent a good portion of the morning, for lack of better word, glaring at the newest member of their party, eventually, he had given in and let his suspicions go, at least for the time being, and relaxed (though the shouting from Kazuha had helped too).

Ran had been oddly silent the whole morning, only giving her comments when she felt necessary. She seemed unusually focused on the group of boys that was walking in front of them, watching them in an almost fond, reminiscent way.

Lunch was quick, quiet. Conan had left to scout the next stretch of their journey, and the sandwiches that Ran had taken along were delicious. As soon as the bespectacled boy returned, they set off in the direction of Tokyo again.

It was late afternoon that they were passing through a beach, more than three quarters to their destination. He hadn't meant to do it, really.

But when the others had pointed towards the setting sun, gasping in awe, it seemed only natural that he turn to look as well. He hadn't expected this, however…

He had never realized…

The sea had never been so blue….

He hardly realized his eyes were closing, the ground reaching up. Then –

He knew no more.

.:::.

_Wind blew, carrying with it the soft particles of sand, tousling his hair._

_His eyes were damp for a reason he did not know – couldn't remember. The only thing he knew was that thinking about it sent a pang through his heart._

"_Shinichi-kun."_

_It was a voice he'd know anywhere, although it was a good deal more high-pitched than he was used to hearing. He wiped any remains of water from his eyes, but refused to turn around. When he opened his mouth to speak, however, it wasn't what he expected to come out._

"_Shiho."_

_Arms reached over his shoulders to entwine in front of his chest, and he leaned back into the rare embrace she was giving right now. "Mother and Father left yesterday."_

"_I heard."_

_Silence took over, broken only by the cawing of the seagulls and the waves crashing upon the beach and each other._

_The sea had never seemed so blue before._

"_I'm sorry."_

_For some reason, he felt he knew exactly what she was talking about. "It's not your fault." His throat suddenly felt unnaturally dry, the words barely making it past his lips. For the first time, he noticed that he was twirling a familiar blue rose with the tips of his fingers. Like the one… "It's _his_."_

_It's his..._

_Who was 'he'?_

_Not hers, of his own. His._

_He could feel himself being pulled under by the tendrils of sleep, and he let them. It had been a week since he'd had any proper rest._

_The sea was still that blue._

_It felt as though they were calling his name._

_Conan..._

_He found he couldn't reach toward the name, the name he knew of._

_Conan..._

_He was falling. It was darkness._

_Conan!_

_Who...was that..._

.:::.

His eyes sprung open, and found himself looking up into a pair of familiar blue-gray orbs. Above them, the looming ceiling of the cave greeted him.

"Conan!"

Groggily, he blinked away the weariness in his eyes. "R-Ran?" He croaked out.

"You fainted," she said, as a way of answering his unsaid question. Clearly, she had been worried. And what was this about him fainting….? "Are you alright? The others are out collecting firewood for fire. We're going to spend the night here."

"I'm alright…." He muttered it softly, turning it over in his head.

_Shinichi-kun._

Was that….his real name?

Ran was watching him closely, analyzing his expression. "What's wrong, Conan-kun?"

"It's nothing," he shook it off. The girl frowned, opening her mouth to retort, though Conan was saved his answer by the return of Aoko and Kazuha. He had never been so happy to see those bothersome people in his life.

"Are you alright?"

"You just –blacked- out back there, you know…."

"I'm fine," he repeated, murmuring, though it was more to himself than the concerned people around him. "Just fine."

_It's nothing._

.:::.

A/N: It's the last KID day of the century! Happy December's 1412 Day! I swear, I jinxed the atmosphere at my house when I wrote the part about the light atmosphere. It just…plummeted. I also want to apologize for any mistakes in my geographical not-facts. Note: _not_ facts. Lookie, it's a double update. –wastotallyfreakingoutoverthi s- Review for more? /shot


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nope.

.:::.

**Secrets in the Dark**

Chapter 03: Hide From the Sun

Conan suppressed the urge to groan. The _hell_.

They had started out bright and early the next day, the previous night's events not forgotten. The whole morning, they just hadn't let him out of their sight for a second, much less _alone_. He really was fine, goddammit. Just a bit fainting couldn't be _that_ big of a deal. The only thing that kept him from snarling at the rest of the group every possible second was his kitten, who had nestled itself on his shoulders.

But it didn't mean that even he could keep his self-control forever.

"Can't you just leave me _alone!?_"

The outburst came without permission, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't care anymore. He _knew_ he was supposed to be glad that there were people who cared about him, he _knew_ he should just let them fuss, he _knew_, he _knew_, he _knew_!

_But did he really, or did he only think he did?_

Silence.

_There was nothing words could say, nothing it could express._

He almost immediately felt bad for his outburst, regardless of his thoughts only moments before. They were just trying to help him, goddamnit.

Unable to face the blank and/or shocked looks on the faces of the others any longer, he turned on his heel and fled. How could people just _lighten the mood_ just like that?

Once, he had wanted to be the center of attention, to have everyone's eyes focused on him in awe, as he did whatever it was that he would do. To bring magic into everyone's minds, to have them truly _believe_ in it. It was then that reality had come crashing down.

All he needed was a little time. A little time to get rid of all those bad habits. He couldn't be like he always had been, had to become someone else.

He hated it.

But, anyway, he would comply – with the promise of re-obtaining his lost memories hanging over his head. He always gave in. Always. It dangled, just out of reach, on the tip of his tongue, yet, he was unable to grasp it fully and understand the meaning behind his forgotten past and his current life and find out and find out.

Maybe it would be better for him just to let go.

Just maybe.

.:::.

They stared after his retreating back with no small amount of surprise. Kaito was confident that their expressions weren't of hurt, but more of confusion. It really wasn't every day that someone ran away from comfort.

But maybe that wasn't it. He never understood because he never experienced it himself before.

No one would have said that he would have sulked unless he was purposefully trying to make himself stand out – it was just the kind of person he was.

He would stare after her, after _him_ before, like: How can you act like its nothing? Their ability to act like something significant was nothing was practically –literally- an art – the perfectly schooled features, suppressed emotions. And he –along with most others– considered himself a master of the Poker Face.

It wasn't that he was boasting the fact – it was true, fact right down to the core of it, and by comparison even better than that of the aforementioned two – or three, he amended, thinking about another certain sarcastic scientist that was so like, yet unlike him. But it was during times like these that he did not understand just _what_ they were thinking, were feeling, as good as he could read people. The blank look that would suddenly surface, protrude as it didn't belong there, the body posture becoming stiff and relaxed and everything else.

They knew it irked him, and flaunted it well. He hated it when they did that.

He was the master of Poker Face, bested only by his late father – and when they flaunted it in his face, payback was never nice – the aftermath was a pain.

But to make a comment, it would blow whatever cover he had made sky-high.

The look she had sent his way, although he had made neither sound nor movement, was the customary, hard star. It told of behavior and understanding, all the while being firm. It told him not to go off recklessly, for reasons he knew and did not know, did not hold a specific why for the situation, no other emotion – but its only intentions were clear.

_Don't go._

He fixed her with a hard glance – so fast that only she would have been able to catch it. She knew he hated the lack of reason – to others, he might have seemed to lack reason, did things on a whim, but in truth, he had planned out anything and everything beforehand, right down to a minor person's reaction and following actions. Then would come the backup plan, the backup plan for the backup plan, the backup plan for the backup plan for the backup plan…you get the idea. Putting it in simpler words, it was a law of nature that if you could surprise him you were practically a god defying nature.

Unless you were _him_, of course. _He_ didn't count.

But when Ran suddenly turned around and suggested that they go after him, he was surprised –no, Ran was not a god–. She had always been unpredictable in that sense, though it wasn't often that she actually could pull such a thing off.

She hadn't suggested they split up, though, excuse –of course it was an excuse– being that the other four didn't know the area well. He didn't wait for a reply when he announced he was going off alone, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He had things to do, and he knew exactly where the other would go.

_Not with us._

.:::.

He sat on a log, head between his knees, overlooking the lake. It was a good mile from where he had left the group, and he had taken the shortcut through the woods to get to it. He didn't know how he knew it – it came more as instinct than anything else, like the first time that he had let his feet lead him anywhere.

It was quiet, peaceful, and would always help him calm down from whatever argument that had ailed him to come. But this time, the effect wasn't as it always had been.

He didn't know what prevented him from truly relaxing – he was fairly certain that no one was watching him, and he was good when it came to knowing things like that.

-_He had been trained by the best after all.-_

Blinking almost comically, he jolted in surprise at the sentence that had popped into his mind on a whim. –Why?

"Hey."

He jolted, spinning around to face the magician who had just spoken. "W-When did you - ?"

-_He had always been able to surprise him_-

The other looked smug, but chose not to comment. He stared at the piece of pie that was suddenly shoved in front of his face. Lemon. Where had he gotten _pie_ of all things on the road? More of, how did he even _find_ him here?

-_He had always known where he would be_-

The smugness that seemed set in the other's face didn't waver. "It's your favorite, right?"

The shock of the situation finally wore over, and he found himself looking –glaring- up at the other curiously. "And who told you that?"

The expression wavered minutely, and he cheered himself silently for catching that.

-_It had always been hard to catch his changes in expression_-

Okay, that voice was really starting to get annoying. Even more confusing, was, that it was in his own voice, purely his own thoughts. The other's voice interrupted his train of thought. "Ra – Mouri-san told me." The words were smooth, but the minute stutter at the beginning he did catch.

Shooting him a slightly suspicious look, he accepted the pie – along with a fork that had appeared out of nowhere. It really _was_ his favorite – he hadn't had it in a long time. The taste that filled his mouth was like no other – foreign yet familiar, like he had tasted such a thing before.

-_It was the only thing that he was able to cook correctly_-

"…Thanks," he muttered, so quietly that he was sure the other would have missed it – but it seemed as though he didn't, with the smile he had gotten in return.

The smile was softer now, filled with the understanding and empathy that he usually hated, but now he couldn't bring himself to. "Let's go back."

He accepted the proffered hand without protest – and found that he was calm again. When did _that_ happen? It didn't occur to him to ask how he found him or how he knew the way back.

But when they walked, side-by-side back, he felt as though some part of him was complete again.

.:::.

They stayed oddly silent about the affair the morning after. Whether it was because of the previous day's events or just because of Conan's erratic behavior –read: quieter than normal, yes it is possible–, it wasn't known – the only difference was that there was no more pity, and the gloom in the group had somewhat evaporated. Kaito wondered just _where_ Ran had led them yesterday.

The road sloped upwards for quite some time. Conan didn't seem to notice – too caught up in thought. So caught up, in fact, that he almost tripped on a rock and fell, had not for – uh, well, he didn't really want to talk about that _particular_ part of the journey.

The city they had come to next was the last one before their destination.

Ran had insisted that they stay another few days in town, as a way to relax again after travelling so much distance over the course of only two days, also to enjoy the scenery, as the town was famous for its tourist attractions. After getting the assent of a reluctant Conan, she and the girls had gone off on a tour of said city, leaving the boys with firm orders and enough money to book two hotel rooms.

It was after they did what they were ordered to do did they go their separate ways. Hattori had gone off to – surprise, surprise – try out the restaurants around the city, leaving the two look-alikes alone.

Overall, they didn't end up doing much.

A scream pierced through the air.

Kaito stared.

….And no, it was not because someone had just dropped onto the floor, knife embedded into her stomach.

.:::.

"Tell me, did you run into any murders today?"

…was the first thing Kazuha asked Heiji the moment they had regrouped in front of the hotel they were to stay at. Hattori shrugged nonchalantly. "Just one," he answered, and the girl deflated. Ran turned to Conan next. "And you, Conan-kun?"

The cerulean-eyed boy seemed to wilt under her stare. "Two," he mumbled in a small voice. "They were both attempted homicides though."

Her stare didn't waver at his answer, but Hattori, Aoko, and Kazuha gaped at the reply.

"Ooh, blue again, Aoko? I thought you were more colorful than that!"

Conan barely dodged the swing that was intended for the magician, who was currently – again – getting chased by the mop-swinging girl. Oh, no worries, only the _entire_ _lobby_ was watching them.

Feeling oddly self-conscious, the remaining four decided to just slip away in the madness, saying a quick retreating phrase, they escaped back up to their hotel rooms, before realizing the only person that had all four of the keys was still downstairs getting chased.

…_Goddamnit._

.:::.

That night, they gathered in the boy's room to watch a movie the hotel had provided them with (it was the best, after all). Conan had –again– made up some excuse about going on a night walk and walking his cat (really, he was a terrible liar. And just _how_ many cats needed to be walked?). Though they let him go with little protest, though Ran with firm orders for him to put on a jacket before he went out.

Hattori was at his wit's end. He had always hated enigmas of any sort, and these two people – their hosts – were no exception. They were perfect – never slipped up, left no clues. There were no flaws.

_Everything_ had a flaw.

Perhaps he came closer to his target by a stroke of luck when an advertisement popped up in the middle of the movie.

Urgent, it had declared, and was broadcasting on to every screen. The city had voted a week ago to host a magic competition, and tomorrow was to be the last day to sign up.

…The prize, you ask?

...You could request anything you want, as long as it was under a certain sum of money. Basically, it was just a way to get more people to participate, as not everyone liked the same thing.

Aoko was the only one who noticed the slightly wistful look that had settled on Ran's face. Although she would not usually butt her head into other people's matters, she felt that this might help her friendship with her look-alike. "What is it, Ran-chan?"

Eyes shifted from where they previously were, from the floor to meet identical blue-gray orbs. The tone was almost sad, as if of wanting. "Conan-kun's always wanted to do something like that, but our superiors don't let him. And he's pretty obedient when it comes to that sort of stuff. But he's been good at doing and deciphering that sort of stuff for ages."

"Your superiors?" Heiji butted in, the light in his eyes taking on a new edge, missing the warning look shot his way from a certain magician. "Why?"

Ran looked almost uneasy, but it was barely noticeable. It was just in that moment that everything behind the smiling face wasn't real anymore. It wasn't something that just anyone would now, for sure. "Our…committee works for…the 'good' of the people. And when there is good to be done, you don't have much time for everything else. Conan-kun was brought up with very strict morals, right from when he was f- _born_. He –"

"I'll make sure he does it."

The people in the room gave a start at the interruption of the explanation. Heiji was annoyed. Couldn't he choose a better time to interrupt?! Even Ran looked surprised. "What was that, Ka- Kuroba-kun?"

There was an odd look in the magician's eyes. He opened his mouth to repeat his words –

"No, I won't."

.:::.

The kitten glanced up at the sky, an odd sense of wisdom in its eyes, now that its 'owner' was gone, leaving it in his traveling partner's hotel room. Its childish smile had faded, the light in its eyes becoming more subdued. Well – this was certainly an interesting twist.

He had watched over him for who-knows-how-long now, and he still couldn't say that he was entirely predictable. Sighing, it thought. _"What do you think I should do with him?"_

Two differing voices answered him, in chorus. /*What do you think? He's always been _your_ charge, not ours. Does he know about…_that_ yet?*/

"_He knows, by now. He's been acting differently. If he continues doing this, it may be hazardous for his health."_

*You were the one who stayed with him all these years. Are you telling me you still don't know how to deal with him?*

"_Shut up. And, no, you two are /not/ coming to watch him perform tomorrow. I'm sure he'll get him to agree. He always gives in."_

*I might come anyway. You can't stop me."

/Suit yourself. I still think he would have preferred if you had been a dog. You're a cat, right?/

"_As always, my friend, as always."_

.:::.

A/N: So the kitten has a secret! –throws confetti- I'll give you a virtual cookie if you can guess what it is. The clue is three. And no, we are not going to talk about how this was almost a page shorter than last times. Ahahahaha…review? /shot


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